Senior
Sara Kovac hit .500 with 18 kills on 30 swings to help guide LMU to a .375 team hitting percentage as the Lions (14-3, 4-2 WCC) posted a 25-19, 25-20, 25-19 sweep of Saint Mary's (11-4, 3-2 WCC) in West Coast Conference play on Thursday night from Gersten Pavilion.
KOVAC'S CAREER MATCH
Kovac turned in one of the best matches of her career on Thursday night, teaming her 18 kills with a career-best four aces and two block assists … the 18 kills are the second-most for Kovac this year, and the .500 hitting percentage sets a new benchmark for the senior … Kovac also recorded 11 digs to complete her fourth double-double of the year.
BOX SCORE NOTES
LMU hit better than .300 in all three sets, including posting a .462 clip in the second, while holding Saint Mary's under .300 in two of the three periods … LMU managed a 71% sideout percentage for the match, including a stellar 85% in the first … in addition to Kovac, LMU also received double-digit kills from
Bo Culo (12) … Culo fell one dig shy of a double-double, managing nine to go along with two block assists … Culo hit .417 over 24 swings, while
Emma Johnson connected for nine kills on 17 attacks (.471) … junior
Tess Reid turned in another solid match, dishing out 43 assists to guide LMU to the high hitting percentage … senior
Kekai Whitford led all players with 18 digs … Sienna Young was the only Gael player to finish with double-digit kills (10).
LION NOTES
LMU's 14-3 start to the year is the best since the 2014 squad began the season 15-2 … LMU has now posted eight sweeps this season, including three straight … LMU has never had fewer service aces than an opponent this year, but Thursday marked the fourth time that an opponent had as many as the Lions (5) … LMU has had at least two players finish with double-digit kills in all but two matches this year.
PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS
LMU still has seven home matches remaining to be played in Gersten Pavilion … members of LMU's Little Lions Club get into all LMU home volleyball matches as part of the membership, while students, faculty and staff with a valid One Card also receive free General Admission access to every home match … to purchase season or single-game tickets, please contact the LMU Box Office at 310-338-5466 or visit
LMULions.com/buywvb.
QUOTABLE
NEXT ROTATION
LMU will conclude the homestand on Saturday when it welcomes Pacific to Gersten Pavilion for a 1 p.m. PT match ... the match against the Tigers can be watched on TheW. tv with live stats found at LMULions.com.
